Desmond Boothroyd (Earth-616)
| CurrentAlias = | Aliases = | Identity = Secret | Affiliation = , formerly the | Relatives = | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Headquarters; S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier | Gender = Male | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = Moustache; later a full beard | Citizenship = British | MaritalStatus = | Occupation = S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons designer | Education = | Origin = Human | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = Stan Lee; Jack Kirby; John Severin; | First = Strange Tales #137 | Last = Untold Tales of Spider-Man #-1 | HistoryText = C.I.A. Desmond Boothroyd's past and education are as yet unrevealed. What is known is that he was a weapons designer working for the United States' Central Intelligence Agency at the time that Richard and Mary Parker, parents of the future Spider-Man, were employed by the agency. He met with them at the American embassy in France, where he outfitted them for an upcoming mission in Bombay. His equipment proved invaluable in rescuing the enigmatic Canadian Agent 10 from Baron von Strucker. S.H.I.E.L.D. Much like Nick Fury, Boothroyd transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D., taking over its weapons design operations under the recommendation of Tony Stark. His first meeting with the agency's new public director started off oddly, as all of his supplied equipment took the form of being disguised as articles of clothing, but they proved effective during a brief combat simulation. Boothroyd's specially designed wardrobe would save Fury's life repeatedly over the years. Fury and Boothroyd later met again on board the Helicarrier, where he gave him a miniaturized arsenal of weapons, explosives, breathing devices, and spying equipment all disguised as Fury's persona items such as cigars, a writing pen, and the like. These not only helped the intrepid agent defeat an attacking robotic assassin , but also served in defeating HYDRA during von Strucker's Death Spore extortion plot in the following weeks. Desmond Boothroyd's current whereabouts and activities, especially in light of the many times S.H.I.E.L.D. has disbanded or been reorganized in the intervening years, is unknown. | Powers = | Abilities = Boothroyd is an inventive genius and gadgeteer, responsible for many weapons and tools, most built to look like such nondescript items as a necktie, a cigarette lighter, and cufflinks, carried by Nick Fury and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = As one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary weapons designers, Boothroyd has access to some of the most sophisticated equipment on the planet. | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * Boothroyd's full name -- Desmond Boothroyd -- was revealed in ''Marvel Atlas'' #1. * He was most likely named in honor of the head of MI6's Q Branch from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and their movie adaptations. His surname of "Boothroyd" is from Major Geoffrey Boothroyd, the fictional MI6 equipment officer little seen in the original novels, while "Desmond" is an homage to actor Desmond Llewelyn, who until his death portrayed Q (for "quartermaster"), the long-suffering inventor of the titular spy's many lethal and life-saving gizmos. ** Major Boothroyd was named by Fleming after a real life Geoffrey Boothroyd, a British firearms expert who'd written to the author, critiquing the choice of pistols used by his character, recommending the spy's now-iconic Walther PPK. Coincidentally, Boothroyd was at the time employed by a company named Imperial Chemical Industries, a name similar to the fictional corporation which unwittingly bankrolled S.H.I.E.L.D.'s major nemesis HYDRA at the time that Fury's armorer made appearances. | Links = }} Category:Inventors